Great birthday present for Sandburg's Aqel

OT victory at Bolingbrook makes it a memorable 18th celebration

Sandburg running back Lemonte Booker nears the end zone against Bolingbrook at Bolingbrook High School in Bolingbrook, Ill., on Friday, Oct. 5. (Corey R. Minkanic, Chicago Tribune)

Last Friday was Sandburg senior inside linebacker Omar Aqel's 18th birthday, but he didn't really think about it until his team was deadlocked with Southwest Suburban Blue rival Bolingbrook at the end of regulation.

The Raiders were without injured quarterback Aaron Bailey but still had plenty of athletes to make it a big challenge for Sandburg to face.

"I'd spent the whole day thinking about playing Bolingbrook and what we had to do to win," said the 6-foot, 205-pound Aqel, also the Eagles' long snapper. "Once we got into overtime I thought, 'Wait, it's my birthday. Wouldn't it be cool to beat Bolingbrook like this?'"

Aqel received his wish with a 13-6 victory.

Sandburg (6-1, 4-1) pulled off the upset, on the road no less, by scoring a touchdown on the first possession of overtime, then recovering a Raiders fumble to end the game. Not only did the Eagles clinch a playoff berth, they also gave Aqel one great gift to remember.

"That was one of the best birthday presents I've ever gotten ... a win against Bolingbrook in overtime on my 18th birthday," he said. "Our team was so emotional and excited, and our coach was really excited too. It was just a great way to cap off my birthday."

Aqel, who has played inside linebacker since youth league, is capping his high school career in memorable fashion. After growing an inch and putting on 10 pounds of muscle since last season, he has become better at taking on blockers and making plays for a defense that has held five of seven opponents to single digits.

"We have a very good defense this year, and he's a big part of that," Sandburg coach Dave Wierzal said. "Omar's a very tough, very quick and physical inside linebacker. He's one of the leaders of the defense and he plays with a lot of passion and intensity."

That passion is what keeps his nose in the scouting reports each week, trying to pick up tendencies in opposing offenses.

"That's probably one of the biggest things about playing linebacker, just the way you can read and react and then be an athlete," Aqel said. "Learning the offenses you're about to go against on Friday nights and knowing what your objective is to stop them is one of the best parts about it."

Aqel, who had 30 solo tackles, 20 assists, two forced fumbles and two sacks going into the Bolingbrook game, has talked with Western Illinois about possibly long-snapping in college. He also has heard from several smaller schools about playing linebacker. His focus right now is finishing out this season strong.

"Bolingbrook was a great win, for sure," he said. "It gave us even more confidence, but we haven't played to our full potential yet as a defense. We know what we're capable of doing. We just need to keep working hard and go into the playoffs focused."